The invention relates generally to material conveying systems, such as to partial-vacuum transporting systems, more particularly to the collection and conveying of wastes, such as to the conveying of household wastes.
Systems wherein wastes are conveyed in piping by means of a pressure difference or suction are known in the art. In these, wastes are conveyed long distances in the piping by sucking. It is typical to these systems that a partial-vacuum apparatus is used to achieve a pressure difference, in which apparatus negative pressure is achieved in the conveying pipe with partial-vacuum generators, such as with vacuum pumps or with an ejector apparatus. A conveying pipe typically comprises at least one valve means, by opening and closing which the replacement air coming into the conveying pipe is regulated. Inlet points, such as refuse chutes, are used in the systems at the material input end, into which inlet points material, such as waste material, is fed and from which the material to be conveyed is conveyed into a conveying pipe by opening a discharge valve means. The conveying of wastes occurs mainly by the aid of a pressure difference produced by an air flow. The air flow is generally brought about by sucking air through the piping. Waste material, such as e.g. waste material packed into bags, is conveyed from an inlet point into a conveying pipe and onwards into a separating device, where the wastes are separated from the transporting air. In connection with the separating device can be a transfer device, such as a transfer device arranged into a cylinder-piston combination, with which transfer device the wastes are displaced from the separating device into a waste container, e.g. into a mobile freight container. These types of solutions comprising a separate separating device, e.g. a cyclone separator, and a waste container separate to it, are well suited to extensive systems in which the space requirements of the waste station do not set limitations. Also known in the art are solutions wherein waste material is conducted in a conveying pipe directly into a waste container, which simultaneously functions as a separating device. These are mainly intended for rather small systems. This type of waste container/separating device is often arranged to be a kind of mobile freight container. In the art they are called horizontal separator containers. A problem in prior-art combinations of a waste container and separating device, more particularly in horizontal separator containers, is that in them a part of the material, or certain types of materials, remain in the container space loosely packed and thus take up space.
The aim of the present invention is to achieve an entirely new type of solution in connection with a waste container/separating device of a pneumatic wastes conveying system. One aim of the invention is to achieve a waste container/separating device, by the aid of which the problems of prior art that are described above are avoided. Another aim is to achieve a combination of a waste container/separating device and a press device/compactor device, by the aid of which material can be efficiently condensed into the container space of the waste container/separating device.